Recording scale for railway cars



Dec.- 13, 1927.

S. D. WRIGHT RECORDING SCAL E FOR RAILWAY CARS .16, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed OCT,

Dec. 13, 1927'. 1,652,338

S. D. WRIGHT RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Ocala, 1922 5 sheets-sheet 2 N N Si Dec. 13, 1927. 1,652,338

S. D. WRIGHT RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed 001,16, 1922 5 sheets-sheet s wohn; o o o De. V1I-3, 1927.

s; D. WRIGHT RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed OCC. 16, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 @Houma/1 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mfumxfoz W M/ /v I XY g S. D.` WRIGHT RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY GARS Flled Oct 16 1922 Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

SAMSON D. WRIGHT, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO.

RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed October 16, 1922. Serial No. 594,853.

This invention relates to an improved recording scale ior railway cars.

The present invention is an improvement upon hthe de rice disclosed in my ljatent- No. 1,329,567 of February 3, 1920, to which ret erence may be had for a tuller understanding of the present structure.

Broadly considered1 the present invention comprises an indicating and recording mechanism mounted upon a stationary part of a railway car, as tor instance the cai` irame, and having operative connection with the body of the car into which the materials are loaded so as to be responsive to the loads placed in the car. l.Vith this device it is possible to obtain a visual read-- ing of the aggregate load in the car trom -time to time and also to obtain a permanent record in the form ot a sheet which is perforated by means. ot' a stylus or marked by any other suitable form of such device, which actuated together with the indicator through operative connections from the body oi the cai'.

The objects ot the present invention are to provide improved means for maintaining in proper operative position the rack which actuatcs the pinion on the shatt ot tlie indicating linger; to provide means for limiting the movement ot the indicator so as to prevent negative readings of the same; to provide a telescopic sleeve for the dash pot which toi-ms a part of the indicating mechanism; to providev readily removable dust excluding .means 'for the bottom part 0i the trame within which the mechanism is mounted; to provide housings for the ball bearings of the indicator shatt and the tractor' shaft, so as to permit these parts Ito be installed as assembled uiiitsg'and finally to provide an improved brake means for the tape feeding mechanism so as to prevent undue movement or the same.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and claims whenv considered in connection with the drawings. y

Fig. 1 a iront elevation of my improved device with the troni' Wall ot the casing removed and with parts broken away; Fig. l is a detail sectional view on line lawlf oit' Fig. 1 showing the guide pins for the rack; Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken from the lett of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation taken from the right of Fig. 1, with the Wall of the casing removed; Fig. iis a plan view ot' my device; Fig. 5 is a detail view oi part of the mechanism as shown in Fig. F ig. 6 is an enlarged detail plan view similar to Fig. 4; Figs. 7 and 8 'arcsec-- tional detail views oi' the housings for the shafts of the indicator and the tractor wheel; Figs. 9 and 10 aie detail views ot the iecord cutter; Fig. 11 is a detail view ot the actuating means for the record 'feeding device; and Fig. 12 is a detail view.

lVithin the casing 1, which is suitably mounted upon the stationary frame ol a car, there is pivoted at the point 2 the lever 3 which has pivotal connection at i with a depending rod 5 suitably connected with the body ot the car for actuation thereby upon placing loads within the car. The other end otl the lever 3 has pivotal connection at the point 6 with the rod 7 which constitutespart of the dash pot indicated in a general way by reference numeral 8. The tubular sleeve 9 is suitably secured within the covei' 16 of the dash pot and co-operates with the telescoping member 11 which is suitably secured upon the rod 7. This telescopic arrangement prevents oil being pumped out by the piston in the dash pot, and further provides a means oi" protecting the same against the entrance ot' dirt. Depending L. trom the bottom ot the casing 1, I have provided the projections 12 and 13 at the points where the rods 5 and 7 extend through the frame; and I have mounted upon these extensions in any suitable manner, as for instance by means of the removable wires 14 and 1'5, the flexible containers 16 and 17 which may be made of canvas or other suitable material tor the purpose of excluding dirt or other foreign matter which may find its way down through the bottom of the casing. The bottoms oit these members 16 and 17 are drawn in around the rods 5 and 7 and are secured in such position by means oi the removable wires as indicated by reference numeral 18.

Suitably pivoted at the point 19 upon the lever 3 is the upwardly extending rod 20 having adjustable connection at the point 21 with they rod 22, the upper part of which is formed as a spiral iin 23 which is adapted .for engagementl between the coils of the spring 2li. This spring depends from the support 25 secured in the upper part of the iframe member 26 and constitutes a means of returning ythe lever 3 together with the other parts oi the indicating apparatus to normalposition upon removal ot the load from the car body. The rod 27, which has a knife edge pivotal connection at the point 28 with the leverv 3, is connected at its upper end to the rack bar 29 which is adapted for vertical movement according to the movement of the lever 8. As a means of prevent-ing undue movement of the rack bar 29 because of any sudden loading et material into the car body, I have provided the angular plate member. one arm 30 of which is secured in position upon the rod 22 between the nuts 31 and 32 by means ot the eut out portion 30, while the other angular extension 38 is provided with a cut out portion 34 adapted to receive the rack bar Q9. The angular portion 33 is adapted tor engagement by the shoulder` 27L ot the rod 27 so as to prevent undue upward movement ot the rack bar 29. In this way the rod Q7 is prevented from such upward movement as might result in the entire unt-:eating ot the lower portion of the same from the knite edge forming part ot its pivotal connection 28. The guide pins 28a extending across the hollow part of the lever 8 prevent the rod 27 from being displaced laterally trom the knife edge.

The rack bar 29 has meshing engagement with the pinion 35 mounted substantially midway ot' the indicator spindle 8G and is adapted to actuate the same so as to indicate the amount oit load placed upon the car body.

' The spindle 86 is provided with ball bear- A er.

ings 37 and 88 which are adapted to be enclosed within the separable members 39, 39 and 40, 40a, which constitute housings tor the ball bearings. These members are provided with screw thread engagement. as indicated at 39D and 40", and one ot them is provided also i` ith the flange 40c tor engagement with the trame ot the device by means of the screw bolts 40d. W'ith this arrangement the housings can be assembled so as to enclose the ball bearings upon the spindle and then assembled as a unit within the frame of the machine, thereby precluding the possibility of entrance of dirt or other foreign matter in the ball bearings duringl the assembling operation. This arrangement allows also for expansion and alignment ot the parts, The indicating linger 4l is .suitably secured upon the front end ot' the spindle 36 'for (1o-operation with the dial 4Q so as to indicate the load placed in the car. and the dial is clearly visible 'through the glass front 421.

I have further provided an attachment to facilitate the reading of the net weight oit material loaded into the car. when such material is loaded in a bucket or other contain- With this arrangement, the scale is so set that the indicator will stand at Zero with the empty bucket itself resting on the body of the car. Then when the bucketis filled and loaded onto the car, the exact weight of the net load can be read directly from the indicator. As a means of preventing the indicating finger trom passing beyond zero to show a negative reading upon removal of the bucket, I have provid-ed a stop which comprises the set screw 43 adjustably mounted in the trame and adapted to engage the top part of the lever By this means the indicating finger is prevented trom passing to any considerable degree beyond the zero point in a counter-clockwise direction. as viewed in Fig. l. I i

As a further means of properly maintaining the rack bar 29 in proper operative engagement with the pinion 85, I have provided the bar 44 which is pivotallv mounted at the point 45 in the frame ot the mechanism, and which carries the pivotallv mounted roller 4G for bearing engagement* with the back ot the rack bar 29. The upper end of the bar 44 is pivotally connected to the rod 47 which extends through the wall oi the trame portion QG and which is adapted to be set in proper position by means ot' the nuts 48 and 49 adapted to engage the two sides of the frame wall. This arrangement affords a readilyT accessible means of adiusting the roller 46 so as to bear with proper' pressure upon the rack bar 29 and thus prevent the same from becoming accidentallv displaced. L l

The means tor providing a permanent reeord oitI the aggregate load upon the car body comprises a flexible tape 50 supplied from the reel 5l and wound upon the separable take-up reel 52 after passing the recording mechanism. This tape passes over the cyl; inder so as to receive an impression hv the stylus 54 arranged directlv thereabore. The curved plate one end ot which is secured to the cylinder 53 and which can be mounted in the 'frame ol the machine, in amy suitable manner, determines the path ot the tape to the take-up reel 52. The weighted roll 56 mounted upon the arm 57 which in turn is pivotally mounted at the point 58 in the it'rame ot the device, maintains the tape in its proper path so as to pass properly under the stylus This tape is ted torwardly by means ot the toothed wheel 59 mounted upon the spindle (30. the teeth ot the wheel engaging in pertorations in the marginal portions of the tape.

The spindle ($0 is provided with ball bearings 6l and G2 which are enclosed within housings comprisingl the separable members 68, G53 and G4. G4?. The structure or' these housings is the same as in the case of the indicator spindle already described and clearlv illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. Suit-ably mounted upon the spindle 60. there is provided the ratchet wheel 65 adapted for eooperation with the pawl G6. which is pivotally mounted at the point 67 upon the bracket 68 on the armature 69. The armature is pivotally mounted at the point 70 in the frame of the apparatus and is actuated by means of the electro-magnets 1 which are adapted' to be energized through a circuit .which can ybe closed either manually or automatically. lVith this arrangement, it will be seen that upon energization of the magnets theV pawl 66 will be lowered, and upon release of the same the pawl will be raised by means of the connection to be later described so as to rotate the ratchet wheel in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 11 and thereby feed the tape.

The means for marking the tape comprises thestylus 54 which is mounted upon the end of a spring arm 72, the other end of which is fixedly mounted upon one stretch of the endless tape or belt 73 extending about the rollers 74, 75 and 76. The end rollers 74 and 76 are merely idlers while the other roller 75, which is tixed upon the spindle 36, is provided with teeth for engagement in holes in the tape 73. Thus, the tape 73 will be i moved back and forth according to the movement of the indicating finger 41, which is fixed upon the spindle 36. In other words, the position of the stylus 54 with respect to the width of the record tape will correspond tothe load placed upon the car body. The stylus 54 .is adapted to work back and forth in a suitably formed groove or way 77 formed as a part ofthe frame 78 which is pivotally mounted at the points 79 and 80 i' upon thel main frame of the machine structure lby means of the adjustable screws 81 and 82. The pivoted frame 78 is provided at its one-end portionwith theextending arm 83 which is suitably apertured so as to permit the extension therethrough of the screw threaded upwardly extending rods 84 and 85. The rod 84 is pivotally mounted at itsilower end to the bracket 86 suitably secured upon the armature 69, and extends also through the stationary extensions 87 and 88 formed upon the trame of the machine. The spring 89 .is arranged labout the rod 84 and has abutment between the arm 83 and the extension 88. Another coil spring 90 abuts at its upper end againstthe adjustable lock nuts 91, and at its lower end against the angular portion 92 of a brake arm to be later referred to. The rod 85 is provided with the stopfnuts 93 `and 94 located above and below the arm 83, while the lower end ot the rod 85 has pivotal connection at they point 95 withthe armature 6,9. The brake arm before referredto is pivot-ally mounted at the' point 96'to the frame ol' the machine and is providedwith a. brake shoe 97 adapted for engagement with the drum portion 98 formed as part of the ratchet 65 so as to control the movement of the feed drum.

Thus it will be seen that according to the weight of the load placed in the oar, the indicating linger will be actuated and the stylus will be moved to a certain position across the record tape; and then upon energization of the electro-magnets, the engagement of nuts 93 with-the arm 83 iw'll cause depression of stylus 54 so as' to impress the record tape and thereby indicate the amount of the load.` At the same time., rod 84 will be lowered through its connection with the armature, and nutsy 91 engaging spring 9() will place tension upon the brake arm so as to prevent rotation of the feed drum during the recording operation. Then, upon Cle-energization or' the electro-magnets, the pawl 66 will be released so as to engage the ratchet and move the same in a clockwise direction so as to feed the paper forwardly7 this operation taking place imn'iediately after the stylus 54 has returned to its inactive position by means of the spring 89 forcing the bar 83 upwardly. At all times, there is suflicient tension upon the spring 90 to prevent overrunning or undue feeding movement of the feed drum.y

The take-up reel may be omitted entirely, in which case the feed tape will be permitted to collect in the bottom ofthe casing'and removed from time to time as may be desired, as for instance, at the end of the day, and the back of vthe casing may be made removable or this purpose. The tape is torn ott by means oit cutting blade 99 whichis provided with the iiexible ears 100 for engagement in the annular groove 101 provided upon each of set screws 102. The set screws engage also the trame of the machine and are adapted upon turning the same to adjust the position of the cutting blade.

` W'hat I claim is 1. In a recording scale :for railway cars,

the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted 1n said trame and responsive to the load on a car, a rack bar having pivotal same in mesh with said pinion, and means i extending to the outside of said frame for adjusting said bar.

2. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted in saidiframe and responsive to the load on a car, a rack bar havingfpivotal connection with said lever, a pinion meshing with said rack for operation thereby, an indicator operated by said pinion, a bar pivotally mounted in the frame, a presser roller mounted on said bar and adapted to bear against said rackbar to maintain the. same in mesh with said pinion, and means extending through said frame and connected with the free end portion of said bar Afor adl it) Fil justment of t-he same from a point outside of the frame.

3. `In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted in said frame and responsive to the load on a car, a knife edge on said lever, a rack bar having a bearing for engagement upon said knife edge, a pinion meshing with said rack for operation thereby, an indicator operated by said pinion, and means for maintaining said rack bar in operative relation to said knife edge.`

4. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted in said frame and responsive to the load on a car, a knife edge on said lever, a rack bar having a bearing for engagement upon said knife edge, a pinion meshing with said rack for operation thereby, an indicator operated by said pinion, and means for preventing accidental dislodgement of said rack bar from operative relation with said knife edge.

5. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted in said frame and responsive to the load on a car, a knife edge on said lever, arack bar having a bearing for engagement upon said knife edge, a pinion meshing with said rack for operation thereby, an indicator operated by said pinion, and means for limiting the longitudinal movement of said rack bar so as to preserve the operative relation between said knife edge and the bearing on said rack bar.

6. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, a lever pivotally mounted in said frame and responsive to the load on a car, a spring having one end anchored to said frame, a rod connecting the other end of said spring to said lever, a knife edge on said lever, a rack bar having a bearing for engagement upon said knife edge, a pinion meshing with said rack for operation thereby, an indicator operated by said pinion, said rod and rack bar cX- tending in substantially parallel relation, and means carried by said rod and being operatively associated with said rack bar for engagement thereby so as to prevent undue longitudinal thrust of said rack bar.

7. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame, means mounted on said frame and having movement responsive to the load on a car, a rec-ord sheet, a stylus automatically adjustable across said sheet according to the movement of said means, means for feeding said sheet and causing said stylus to impress said sheet to record 'the weight of a given load, and a brake for said feeding means to prevent undue feeding of the record sheet.

8. In a recording scale for railway cars,

the combination of a record sheet, means for recording upon said sheet the load on a car, means for advancing said sheet and actuating said recording means, and a brake operatively associated with said last named means for preventing undue feeding of the sheet.

9. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a record sheet, means for recording upon said sheet the load on a car, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for advancing said sheet, and a brake means operatively associated with said last named means for preventing unduerotation of said ratchet.

10. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a record sheet, means for recording upon said sheet the load on a car, a pawl and ratchet mechanism for feeding said sheet, said ratchet having a drum, a pivotally mounted arm, a brake shoe carried by said arm, spring means for effecting engagement of said shoe with said drum, and means for marking and advancing said sheet, said last named means being operatively associated wit-h said brake arm so as to prevent accidental rotation of said ratchet during the marking operation.

ll. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame provided with a pair of aligned openings, a dial associated with said frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said openings, a pointer carried by said shaft for cooperation with said dial, and spaced anti-friction structures carried by said shaft and adapted to be arranged within said frame openings upon endwise movement of said shaft, whereby said shaft and said anti-friction structures may be assembled with and disassembled from said frame as a unit.

12. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a frame provided with a pair of aligned openings, a dial associated with said frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said openings, a pointer carried by said shaft for cooperation with said dial, and spaced anti-friction structurcs carried by said shaft and adapted to be arranged within said 'frame openings upon endwise movement of said shaft, said anti-friction structurcs each including ball bearings and a housing enclosing the same, whereby said shaft and said anti-friction structures may be assembled with and disassembled from said frame as a unit, the housing of one of said anti-friction structures being provided with means for sccurement to said frame adjacent one of the aligned openings therein.

In testimony whereof I hereby a'HiX my signature.

SAMSON D. WRIGHT. 

